This past weekend, writer/director Adam Green and executive producer/artist Alex Pardee (who’s artwork is the inspiration for the film) surprised the audience at Butt-numb-a-thon #15 in Austin, TX by showing up and screening a “not quite finished” version of DIGGING UP THE MARROW during the 24-hour marathon.  The screening took place at 6am on Sunday morning (about 9 films into the marathon, playing after films like Scorsese’s THE WOLF OF WALL STREET , Altman’s POPEYE, and Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG) and Green and Pardee introduced the film along with Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles (who programs Butt-numb-a-thon each year) followed by a brief Q&A with the audience afterwords.

Though the audience was asked to refrain from posting any actual reviews on-line and from spoiling the film in any way or from sharing the secrets of it, the response in the theater was fantastic and filled with laughter, tension, screams, and moments where the entire audience jolted in their seats together.  On-line chatter has been extremely positive and overall the bold move to screen the film before such a die-hard film savvy audience (you gotta be pretty serious about cinema to sit through a 24 hour marathon of films and have no idea what they will actually be) this early in the process is a move that we are very happy we risked.

The film still has a ways to go with post-production but should be completed early next year.  News on any advanced screenings and the release plan will be coming later in 2014, so hold tight. But a heartfelt thank you to the BNAT audience at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in Austin, Texas for giving DIGGING UP THE MARROW such a warm and enthusiastic reception at this very early stage of the film’s life.  We’re now all the more excited to finish the movie and figure out the next steps, so stay tuned!